


What Lies Within

by stella_pegasi



Category: Stargate - All Series, Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Action/Adventure, Gen, Gen Fic, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-02-07
Updated: 2011-02-07
Packaged: 2017-10-15 12:03:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 19,231
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/160644
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stella_pegasi/pseuds/stella_pegasi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An old ally may have stumbled on an important discovery in the Milky Way galaxy and requests John Sheppard’s help, but things are never what they seem.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Coercion

**Author's Note:**

> Written for a challenge LiveJournal.

**Chapter One      Coercion**

The leaves beneath him were soft, cushioning his body from further damage when he fell.  The damp, musty odor of decaying vegetation permeated the cool air, and filled his nostrils with the moldy scent. Immense trees, much like the sequoias on Earth, surrounded him.  Their reddish bark appeared to glow in the heavy mist. Their limbs formed a thick canopy far above his head. He wasn’t aware of how long he had lain there, but he was certain this was where his body would be found, if it was ever found.

Clutching his abdomen, he had curled into a fetal position, hoping to stem the bleeding flowing from the gut wound, but it hadn’t helped.  Blood was still pouring from the gaping wound, and he knew his time was limited. He attempted to muffle the moans and cries of pain spilling from him, but he couldn’t.  If he couldn’t remain quiet, they would find him and time would run out sooner than he expected.

Though the pain, he thought back to the initial meeting when he was summoned to the SGC to participate in a covert mission in the Milky Way galaxy.  He should have said no, using the excuse he couldn’t be away from Atlantis for that long.  However, orders were orders and, despite his past reputation, he usually followed the directives of his superiors.  He sometimes, however, made certain that his superiors were aware he was unhappy.  They never expected less from Colonel John Sheppard.  He closed his eyes, and relived the meeting in General Landry’s office; the day he met his first Tok’ra.

+++++++

Tavor sat to his left across from General Landry; Colonel Cameron Mitchell leaned against the wall behind Tavor.  Tavor was explaining why they needed Sheppard to join the mission that the Tok’ra were proposing to the SGC.

The Tok’ra, a member of the High Council, was an imposing figure, tall, his straight dark hair pulled into a ponytail around his head; his dark beard, neatly trimmed.  His most striking feature, however, was his eyes; so deeply cobalt that they appeared black, and seemed to penetrate into their souls.  He exuded confidence; Sheppard thought bordering on supreme arrogance. However, Sheppard also knew it was unwise to judge someone too quickly.  Rodney McKay was an example of the book being far more interesting than the cover of his blustering personality.

“General Landry, I believe you understand why this mission is of such grave importance.  Not only for the Tok’ra, but the Tau’ri as well. If, in fact, this citadel that has been discovered was a place of sanctuary for the Ancients, then there could be untold objects that could benefit everyone.  Perhaps we will find another Ancient Healing device…one that we can use to develop a sarcophagus without the horrid side effects.” 

Landry was silent. His gaze never left Tavor, as he leaned forward in his chair, elbows resting on his desk. “Tavor, the last time I  heard anything about the Tok’ra and sarcophagi, was that you guys didn’t use them.  You thought a sarcophagus, if I remember correctly, would 'drain the good from your heart'.  Now you are telling me that you can’t wait to get your hands on another such device. I’d like to know what changed your mind.”  The general’s face expressed genuine, friendly interest, but Sheppard had known the general long enough to read his eyes, he was feeling anything but friendly.

The Tok’ra stared back at the general, then bowed his head.  When his head lifted and he spoke, the host Tavor was no longer speaking; the symbiote, Partak, addressed Landry’s concerns.

“ _General, I am Partak.  You are correct; at one time, the Tok’ra believed that use of a Goa’uld sarcophagus would somehow changed us.  Our fear was that it would take the good from our hearts, as you said.  That fear was for the vessels constructed by the Goa’uld.  When the Ancient Device that we sought was located, it proved not to be what we had hoped.  However, it served its purpose by helping defeat the Kull warriors. Perhaps if we find a new healing device it will be without detrimental effects. Of course, while such a device would be useful, we believe there are many such wonders waiting to be discovered in the citadel.”_

Sheppard felt the deep resonance of Partak’s voice in his bones.  Only once before, had he heard word’s spoken by a Goa’uld, the one who had inhabited Colonel Caldwell a few years before.  However, Caldwell uttered only a few words before he was subdued.  Now, this ‘Goa’uld’ was conversing with them.  Sheppard winced as he subconsciously referred to the symbiote as a Goa’uld; the Tok’ra loathed that term.  He would have to remember not to use that name in their presence. 

Partak turned toward Sheppard, and continued. “ _The legends recounted to our operative tell of many wondrous occurrences in the city’s past.  How many of these fairytales are true, remains to be seen. However, I will admit that the Tok’ra are concerned about entering the abandoned city without someone who can control devices the Ancient may have left there. Colonel Sheppard and the strength of the Ancient gene he carries will be invaluable in providing for our safety.”_

“Don’t be so certain about the safety of Ancient devices, Partak.  I’ve seen plenty that are quite dangerous, especially in the wrong hands.”  Sheppard remarked, his voice low and measured.

Partak’s eyes flashed with anger, before he regained control. “ _Are you suggesting, colonel, that the Tok’ra have an ulterior motive?”_

The corners of Sheppard’s mouth upturned slightly, “I am not suggesting anything, simply making an observation.”  As he spoke, he noticed, in his peripheral vision,  Landry’s slight grin. He had definitely hit a nerve.

Partak’s head dropped and within seconds, Tavor was speaking, “Please, colonel, Partak did not mean to sound accusing.  Many of the Tok’ra are uneasy about renewing the alliance with the Tau’ri.  However, the Tok’ra also know that their days are numbered.  It is only understandable that they are anxious to survive. It should not be surprising that of interest would be to find another, perhaps more sophisticated, healing device, while exploring the city.”  His demeanor changed ever so slightly, as he added, “Many Tok’ra, in case you are unaware, colonel, have sacrificed themselves to save the Tau’ri.”

Mitchell jumped into the conversation, “So, Tavor, you want Sheppard to tag along with two of your operatives to search this Ancient city, so that he can interpret and protect you from what you find?” The Tok’ra nodded.

Landry leaned back in his chair, “We have conditions, Tavor.  The SGC is not going to risk the life of one of our most important officers in a fool’s quest.  The Air Force and the IOA will not agree to a joint mission, unless all Ancient devices, if recovered, remain in our custody.  A Tok’ra scientist will, of course, be invited to be part of the research team if any Ancient devices are recovered. Furthermore, Colonel Sheppard will not accompany you without backup.  A team led by Colonel Mitchell will also go on this mission with him or no one goes.”  Landry’s facial expression was rigid. Anyone who knew the general would be well aware that his offer was non-negotiable.

Once again the Tok’ra’s head dipped and Partak answered, _“We expected that you would insist on possession of any recovered items, general.  We are willing to agree to that condition, as long as your offer to jointly share in the research is honored.  As for Colonel Mitchell accompanying the Tok’ra, I have no issue with that.  However, it is not necessary.  I vouch for Colonel Sheppard’s safety.”_ He withdrew and Tavor spoke.

“I will return to the Tok’ra home world now, and notify the council of your decision. I will return shortly with the Tok’ra members of the mission, and specific information collected regarding the location of the citadel. General, before I leave, I must echo Partak’s words, Colonel Sheppard’s safety is not in question.” __

+++++++

Sheppard felt colder. He wanted to believe it was due to the fading sunlight, but he knew better.  He was becoming weaker from the loss of blood, and rescue was becoming increasingly unlikely.  One of the Tok’ra operatives, a woman named Selana had been hit by the plasma fire before they fired at him.  She had quickly tumbled down the steep bank of the river they had been running along, giving him no opportunity to rescue her. They had hoped to find a way over to the riverbank on the opposite side, to throw their pursuers off track, but they had been unsuccessful before whoever was after them, caught up.  One of the men following them shot at him, the blue beam glancing off the tree next to him.  He stumbled and fell onto the thick underbrush, directly onto a thin, broken sapling stump. He felt the searing pain as the stump tore into his abdomen just above his waist.  He knew he had to keep moving, so he pushed off of the stump and clutching his side, he stumbled through the underbrush.  He heard one attacker yell to the other to help him with the woman.  From the sound of his movements, Sheppard was certain the attacker had turned back toward the river to assist his companion, giving him time to put some distance between them.

Cam and the other Tok’ra had headed in the opposite direction to escape the renegades, who had been chasing them across two planets.  Cam wouldn’t realize what had happened to him until it was too late.  As he lay in the thick natural debris of the forest floor, attempting to remain quiet, Sheppard’s mind drifted to the mission’s beginning.

+++++++

Tavor had returned with the Tok’ra, who would be accompanying them on the mission.  Selana was host to Lanar, a Tok’ra scientist who had done most of the research on the possible Ancient city.  With her was a male Tok’ra named Curnon, who was host to a symbiote named Ma’tek, another scientist. They seem extremely anxious to embark on the mission, and were noticeably agitated when General Landry insisted on reviewing the mission plan.

Seated around the conference table located on the mezzanine level, Lanar and Curnon sat quietly, ramrod stiff in their chairs. Answering only questions directed to them. Landry had requested that Dr. Bill Lee join them to probe into the data that the Tok’ra had provided.  Dr. Lee had reviewed the interviewed the Tok’ra offered as proof that they may have discovered the location of an Ancient city. 

“I see that you have included entries, provided by this source you have, of several ‘eye-witness’ accounts from people who claim to have been to this city.  Have you interviewed any of these people? 

Selana glanced at Tavor and Curnon before she answered, “We did not.”

Lee, as well as the other SGC personnel were exhibiting exasperation at the cryptic answers.  The Tok’ra were known for not being very forthcoming, but these Tok’ra were being obstinate beyond reason.

Landry’s brow was pinched; his lips compressed in a thin line.  He took a shallow breath before he spoke, “How do you know that this fortress described is even Ancient, if you did not interview the people who claim to have been there?”

A slight look of impudence passed over Tavor’s face before he answered.  When he did, his voice held a note of impatience, “General Landry, we trust the information given to us by our operative is factual. We are wasting time; we need to deploy this team to begin the search.”

Landry squirmed in his seat, “Tavor, that ‘city’ has been there a long time. It can wait.  I still want to know what proof you have that this is an Ancient city.

Tavor exhaled deeply, “Your lack of trust, General Landry is very unfortunate.  The report explains that our operative was told that no one could enter the  citadel. You have seen the rendering of the markings on the wall. Both Colonel Sheppard and Dr. Lee have confirmed the symbols are Ancient writing. What more is there to discuss?”

The glance shared between Sheppard and Mitchell did not appear to go unnoticed by Landry.  It was obvious that none of them had reason to trust the Tok’ra.  “Thank you, I would like to meet with my officers before they prepare for the mission.”  He motioned to a Marine sentry to escort the Tok’ra from the room; then stood up and headed for his office, the two colonels on his six.

Sheppard dropped into one of the chairs, slouching as he did. It was a position he often adopted when he was troubled or thinking. His apparent disinterest usually threw people off of how he really felt.  Sheppard knew most people underestimated him, so he allowed them to. Mitchell, on the other hand, was a bit more direct. He sat down, leaning his elbows on Landry’s desk.

“Our ‘friends’ are hiding something; but what?  Why would they refuse to tell us who gave them this information?”  Mitchell asked absently, as if he truly didn’t expect an answer.

Sheppard scoffed, “Yeah; I feel real confident that they’re telling us the truth,” his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Landry spoke to his senior officers, “I doubt I have to tell either of you that I suspect that there’s quite a bit the Tok’ra are not telling us.”  His eyes were hard as steel as he gazed at them.

Sheppard was thoughtful, “General, according to the limited information the Tok’ra gave us regarding this ‘city’; they aren’t certain where it is located. It could be on one of two different planets and they aren’t even certain about that. But the lack of specific location for the city, doesn’t concern me as much as the fact they appeared on our doorstep out of the blue.  From what I know, they had walked away from their association with the SGC because they didn’t like to be controlled. Now they seem to be willing to give up anything this city yields.  Do you have any idea what they have been up to? ” 

Mitchell answered, “Teal’c’s currently attending a Jaffa High Council meeting. I contacted him to see if the Jaffa knew anything.  Nothing, nada…the Jaffa havn’t heard from the Tok’ra for a very long time.  Not that Teal’c expected they would, considering the nature of their relationship.”

Landry clasped his hands together, “The fact is that the IOA and the Pentagon are in agreement.  Finding more Ancient technology had them salivating at the possibility of more weapons.  If the Tok’ra didn’t claim to be so peaceful, I would suspect them of looking for weapons as well.”

Sheppard shook his head, “What makes you think they aren’t, general?”  Landry didn’t have an answer.

An hour later, Sheppard, Mitchell, and SG-8 about to head to the gate room, having changed into clothing similar to the clothes that the Tok’ra wore.

Sheppard looked over at Mitchell who was lacing the suede boots that they had been issues. “So, two scientists; we get to babysit for two scientists.” 

Mitchell laughed, “It could be worse, Shep; could be two McKay’s.”

It was Sheppard’s turn to laugh, “One McKay I can deal with; two, more than I’d want to tackle.”

“You know, in addition to your gene, I think we might be going along simply as the muscle on this mission, maybe they should have taken Teal’c and Ronon.”

Sheppard shook his head, “Probably not a good idea.  Ronon would have shot Tovar by now.”

“Yeah, there’s that.”

Walking out of the locker room, Sheppard caught Mitchell taking a quick look in the mirror at the dark brown tunics and pants they were wearing.

Sheppard laughed. “You look pretty, if that’s what you are concerned about, Mitchell.” 

Mitchell glared at Sheppard, “Bite me.”

“You need an original line. McKay says that to me all the time; it’s getting old.”

Mitchell chuckled, “Yeah; wonder what would provoke him to say that all the time, Sheppard?”

The two colonels along with SG-8 were laughing when they entered the gate room. Sheppard noticed the quick glance of disapproval from the female Tok’ra. He wondered if the Tok’ra ever smiled.

Selana turned around as the two men walked up, her eyes conveying her annoyance. “I am glad you have decided to finally join us.  We are anxious to leave,” she said dismissively, then turned her back on them.

Nearly whispering, Mitchell drawled, “Maybe, Ronon would have been a good idea.”

+++++++

A mission with the Tok’ra was proving as difficult as they had suspected.  The only thing that Sheppard and Mitchell knew for certain was that the Tok’ra were as devious as they had suspected. 

The first planet had proven fruitless.  After a nearly four hour trek to the coordinates that the Tok’ra operative had provided, they found nothing except farmland scattered with groves of trees; no tall stone walls and huge metal gates as described by the legends.  The Tok’ra simply shrugged and turned around, intending to head back to the gate.  Mitchell wasn’t pleased.

“Whoa there, we aren’t going anywhere for a bit.  I know you guys are Tok’ra, and have a lot more energy than we do.  However, we’re going to take a break, have something to eat, and you are going to tell us what bull-shit wild goose chase you have us on.”

Sheppard dropped his rucksack and sat down on the ground, his back against a tree.  “Cam, don’t get all worked up. It’s pretty obvious they’ve been lying to us all along.” He took a swig from his canteen, and continued, his question aimed at the Tok’ra. “You knew there wasn’t a ‘city’ at these coordinates.  Why did you lead us here?”

Selana stared at him briefly, then answered, “You are right. We did know that there was not an Ancient city at these coordinates. We came here because we suspect someone is watching our every move, waiting for us to find the citadel.  We were hoping to lure them into the open during our walk here.”

“Bait; you used us, or maybe just Sheppard, as bait.”  Mitchell stated flatly.

Sheppard laughed, “Yep, bait, Cam. The Tok’ra apparently don’t like risking their necks when they can risk ours.  I imagine bringing a SGC team along, wasn’t part of your plans, was it? Whoever you think is following you might not want to take on all of us, but just you two and the man with the gene…maybe.”

“Colonel, as Tovar said, we would never put you in danger. Please excuse us for a moment.”  Curnon’s voice was brusque.

Selana and Curnon stepped out of ear shot and began to talk, somewhat heatedly.  In the meantime, Cam went to speak to Captain Maris and after a brief conversation, he sat down on the ground next to Sheppard.

“Told Maris  to stand down, but keep their eyes open.  I don’t like being used as target practice.”

“Something is still not right, Cam.  If they were hoping to flush whoever is following, if someone’s following them, why would they expose themselves with only two Tok’ra scientists and one SGC officer? They weren’t considering additional SGC troops to be along. Doesn’t make sense, unless there are more Tok’ra lurking around than we know about.”

“I think we’d better stay on our toes.  I agree, something isn’t right.”

Selana approached them. “Colonel Sheppard, Colonel Mitchell, we owe you an apology. We did suspect that we are being followed.  We learned of a group of renegades who had also heard about the legend of the Ancient city.  We felt that if they thought we were close to locating the city, they would show themselves.  We are well-protected, there are several Tok’ra nearby, watching us.”

“You could have been honest with us.”  Sheppard said soberly.

“Not the Tok’ra’s strong suit, Shep. They prefer to keep their secrets.” Mitchell’s tone was very disdainful.

“Think what you will, Colonel Mitchell; but we are not purposely being dishonest with you.  We just felt that was unimportant information.”

Sheppard dropped his head back against the tree while Mitchell dropped his forward into his hands.  Taking a deep sigh, he looked up at Selana. “Being followed by unknown assailants is not something you think we should know.  Not exactly good allies there, are you?”

Selana chose to ignore his comment, “When you have sufficiently rested, we will return to the town where we will spend the night. We will gate to the planet we believe to be the true location of the citadel tomorrow.”  She walked away, leaving the two Air Force colonels to wonder what was really going on.

+++++++ 

It was nearly dark, when Sheppard and Mitchell walked into the local tavern.  The hike back to town from the bogus citadel site had been uneventful, with the exception that the two Tok’ra remained silent the entire way. SG-8 was handling watch duty, alerted to possible assailants or Tok’ra.  At this point, neither colonel was convinced there was a difference.

They sat at a small rustic table next to the large fireplace.  Sheppard looked around the room, an uneasy feeling washing over him.

“Maybe it’s just my spidy sense, but I have this feeling we are being watched.”

Mitchell chuckled, “Maybe your spidy radar is picking up the two barmaids that checked us out when we walked in.”

“Cam, do you ever get your mind out of the gutter?”  Sheppard flashed a half-grin at his friend.

“Nope, my mind is right down there with yours.”  Both colonels laughed.

“Well, no time for that at the moment, Cam.  I have this feeling that the Tok’ra are in here right now, keeping an eye on us.”

“Nothing would surprise me; it this job has proven one thing to me, it’s that surprises lurk around everyone corner.”

“Speaking of lurking; looks like both young ladies are coming to wait on us. Mind your manners.”

+++++++

The next morning was cool and foggy, as the SGC members and Tok’ra approached the gate.  The planet was a center of trade, holding a large open market each week.  Consequently, there was a queue for the gate. While waiting their turn, Sheppard and Mitchell scanned the waiting crowd.

Mitchell was fiddling with his vest, not looking up as he asked Sheppard, quietly, “See anything interesting?”

“Those three men across the path and the two on beyond look suspicious.  They aren’t being too stealthy; keep looking at each other and at us.”

“Yeah, thought so. Now, the question is Tok’ra or renegade?”

Sheppard shrugged, “Huh…at this point, does it matter?” 

Mitchell didn’t have time to reply; Curnon had stepped to the DHD and was dialing their destination.  A stern glance from Selana, and Sheppard, Mitchell, and SG-8, followed the Tok’ra through the event horizon. 

The world they found when they exited the gate was totally different that the bustling trading community they just left. The busy town and numerous people was a sharp contrast to the overgrown gardens and forest that surrounded the gate.  At one time there had been a structure built around the gate, which was sitting on a large worn, cut stone dais.  Remnants of large columns, carved with familiar designs, lay scattered about, partially covered with moss and creeping vegetation. A formal garden had been present once, the faint outline of planting areas and broken sculpture barely visible under the overgrowth.  What appeared to have once been an archway, was evident along the far edge of the garden, directly across from the gate. The stone now lay in pieces, the wide path leading from the gate disappeared into the forest. The DHD sat near the edge of the enormous dais slightly to the left, surrounded by vines and scrubby bush.  Daylight splashed brightness onto the gate, but past that, the thick trees masked the sun.

Selana hurried to the DHD, checking the base to make certain that the dialing device was working.  After a few minutes, she rose up, a look of relief on her face.

“The device is intact, there should not be a problem dialing out.” She turned to Sheppard. “Colonel, do you recognize any of these symbols.  She pointed to the edge of the dais.

Sheppard stepped off the stone and turned around.  Along the perimeter of the dais, there were words written in Ancient.  Staring at the words for a moment, he finally spoke, ‘ _May Your Journey, uh… Trip… Prove Wise’._  At least, that’s what I think it says.

Selana replied sharply, “Well, we can only assume that you have interpreted the Ancient language correctly.  If so, then the citadel should be here.”  She turned, joining Curnon and they began walking down the overgrown path toward the forest.

Sheppard snarked, “You’re welcome.”  Looking at Mitchell, he jerked his head indicating they might as well follow.

They walked along the wide worn path through the thick forest for over two hours, before the first sign of trouble appeared.  A cry of alarm from one of the SG-8 member brought the group to a halt.  Captain Maris rushed toward a young corporal, who at been at the rear of the group.

“Corporal, where is Sergeant Palmer?”

“I don’t know, sir.  He was behind me, I thought.  Then I turned around and he was gone.  I backtracked a few steps and found this.”  He held out a P-90, the sergeant’s weapon. 

Maris whirled toward the colonels. “We have a problem, sirs.”  Just as he finished those words, a bright beam of blue light hit him in the chest and the captain fell.  A second later, the corporal went down as well, struck by the beam.

Sheppard pulled his P-14 from his tunic and yelled to Mitchell, “Split up.” Grabbing Selana’s arm, he pulled her toward the undergrowth to his left.  Glancing back, he saw Mitchell, Curnon, and Corporal Harrelson heading in the opposite direction.

After a short distance, he could hear the sound of swift moving water. “Come on, I think there’s a river nearby, maybe we can cross over and throw them off. “  Sheppard ran toward the sound, Selana directly behind him.

+++++++

He was barely conscious when he heard the cracking sound of a twig breaking under someone’s foot.  He was shivering, and felt extremely weak, unable to defend himself.  Part of him almost wished for the end, he wouldn’t be so cold anymore.  He forced his eyes to open, but the light was now too dim for him to make out anything but dark shapes around him.  It was then he felt a hand on his cheek.

“C-colonel, it…it is Selana.  Not…much time.  I am dying; Lanar has kept me alive until we…f-found you.” 

He managed a weakened reply, “S-Selana?”

“Quiet, I do not have much…time. I am Tok’ra, Curnon and the ones following us are as well...”  She took a breath, a moan escaping her. “They, however, have turned from the Tok’ra and are looking for power.  Lanar…has been under…cover to stop t-them.”

She lay down on the forest floor next to Sheppard, her face inches from his, “You must take L-Lanar, be his host…he can h-heal you….I can no….”

Sheppard, for the first time in his life, felt what he could only imagine was panic. “N-no…no…no…don’t w-ant…”

But with the strength that only Lanar could give her, Selana hands gripped Sheppard’s head.  As he continued to shout no, Lanar slid from Selana’s body into Sheppard’s.  Sheppard’s yells became cries of pain, as the Tok’ra bore into the base of his brain.

Then there was only darkness.


	2. Resignation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An old ally may have stumbled on an important discovery in the Milky Way galaxy and requests John Sheppard’s help, but things are never what they seem.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Word Count: Chapter 2: 4595  
> Spoilers: Some general SG-1 mentions.  
> Warnings: Sporadic Language  
> Disclaimer: I do not own them; I would have treated them better.

**Chapter 2     Resignation**

 

Cam Mitchell cautiously opened his eyes, slowly orienting his vision to the bright light.  Too bright, his head throbbing the more he widened his view.  He decided that he didn’t need to see, for the moment, and allowed his eyelids to drop against the glare.  Rolling onto his side, he pushed up into a sitting position.

“Sir, how are you feeling?” Hearing Captain Maris’s voice, he decided he needed to see after all.

Three members of SG-8 were sitting on the ground around him.  Lying on the gritty soil near Sergeant Palmer, Corporal Harrelson appeared unconscious.

“I’m ok. How bad is Harrelson hurt?”  Mitchell queried as he accepted the canteen Captain Maris handed him.  The captain answered.

“There are some burn marks on his cheek; I think he took a hit in the face from that stun weapon.  His vitals are good, so I think he’s going to be OK.  Colonel, we aren’t on the same planet where we were ambushed.”

Mitchell glanced around at their surroundings; indeed, they were not on the same planet.  A large open plain of scrub brush extended far as he could see into the distance, disappearing into a tall mountain range.  They were very near a stargate, but there was no forest, no ruins, and he suddenly realized, no Sheppard.

“Maris; Sheppard, what happen to him?”

“Don’t know, sir; we haven’t seen anyone, since we came to. The colonel may still be on the other planet.”

Mitchell’s gut clenched.  He should have seen this coming; Sheppard was material to the Tok’ra’s needs.  The remaining SGC personnel were a nuisance to them.  He got to his feet, aided by Sergeant Palmer. “Somebody, dial the damn gate; let’s go home.”

                                                                                          ++++++ 

General Landry was sitting in his office, pouring over the latest communiqués from Homeworld Security, when he heard the gate activate.  While the gate activated many times during the day for teams either going off-world or returning, there were times when he found himself paying more attention. Today was one of those days.

Mitchell and Sheppard reported as scheduled the day before, and he had been most displeased at their report.  He came close to canceling the mission and ordering his people to return to the SGC.  However, he was well aware that ending the mission would have the wrath of the IOA descend on him. He could imagine the nauseating whine of James Coolidge, the IOA liaison to the SGC, if he canceled the mission. The little weasel would remind him in a condescending tone about the potential for discovering technology that could defend Earth. He really didn’t want to put up with Coolidge if he didn’t have to.  As the day drug on without a word from his colonels, he was beginning to believe he should have called a halt to mission yesterday.

The gate tech’s voice echoed through the intercom, announcing the activation was unauthorized. Landry bolted from his chair and ran from his office, nearly knocking Master Sergeant Walter Harrelson off his feet.  Walter was heading for the control room as well. 

“Sir, no one is scheduled to return at this time.” The master sergeant said as he followed Landry down the metal staircase.

“Then maybe we’ll get lucky, and Mitchell and Sheppard are actually reporting in as I asked.”

Walter answered, ‘yes, sir’, but knew too well that Landry didn’t believe that for one moment.

As they entered the control room, Landry asked, “IDC yet?”

The gate tech turned toward him, “Yes, sir.  It’s the Tok’ra.”

Landry took a deep breath, “Open the iris, sergeant.” 

He took off for the gate room with Walter on his six. As they rushed into the room, a Tok’ra known to the SGC, Delek, exited the gate.  He walked toward General Landry, stopping at the end of the ramp.

 _“General, have you met with a Tok’ra named Tovar recently?”_

Landry was quick to respond, “Yes. We have.”

 _“Then, general, we have a mutual problem.”_  

+++++++ 

Daylight filtered through the tall canopy; the sound of birds and rustling of underbrush gave life to the forest.  Sheppard had struggled back to consciousness, but he felt extremely weak.  As he became more lucid, adrenaline flushed through his body as the memory of what had happened to him quickly surfaced.  He forced himself to calm down; panicking was not going to change anything.

Although he was quite weak, the pain from the abdominal wound had lessened greatly.  He knew why, but he didn’t want to admit it.  There was a snake in his head, and he didn’t want it there. He would have laughed if he had the energy. It simply didn’t matter what he wanted any longer, the Goa’uld was inside him.

 _“I would prefer, Colonel Sheppard, if you did not think of me as a Goa’uld.  I am Tok’ra._ “ __

Sheppard’s heart started racing, as he realized the thing was talking to him, inside his head.  He should be accustomed to having mental conversations due to his link with Atlantis, but where Atlantis voice was soft and soothing; this thing was bold and commanding.

 _“’Thing’ is not appropriate either, colonel.”_ __

“How does Fred work for you?”

 _“I understand that you harbor some reluctance about this relationship, but you must understand it was necessary.  Selana was dying; you were, as well. I would not have been able to heal her; Selana suffered a severe brain injury.  I could only contain the bleeding long enough for her to locate you.  I am not pleased that she is dead; she was a considerate and intelligent host.  However, you are more pivotal for this mission; if any of us survives, it must be you.”_

“I don’t understand, what’s the hell’s going on?  What about Mitchell and the others with me?”

 _“Your teammates are safe. They have been taken to another planet and left to wake up. Tovar gave strict orders that no one was to be killed.  Selana’s death was not intended.  However, had he known the truth, he might have killed her.”_ __

“What truth?”

 _“Rest, colonel, you are still quite weak. I will tell you everything once you are stronger.  Allow me to heal you more completely, so that we can locate the others.”_  

+++++++ 

Landry stood quiet for a second, staring at Delek. “We have a problem.”  He paused for a heartbeat then continued, “I was afraid you were going to say that.  Come with me. Walter, recall Dr. Jackson from MX9-338, and tell Dr. Lee to report to the conference room immediately.”

Landry led Delek to the mezzanine level and motioned for him to sit, while he went to his office. Within minutes, Dr. Lee arrived and Landry exited his office with a file in hand. He walked along the large conference table and tossed the file in front of the Tok’ra.

“How much of that data is true, or is it all a lie?” 

Delek glanced at the file’s contents, then sighed. _“The data is real, the mission that Tovar presented you, however, was not sanctioned by the Tok’ra.  We have traitors in our midst, General Landry. Tok’ra who have turned to the acquisition of power and wealth.  If we do not stop them, we could be witnessing the rebirth of the System Lords.”_ __

General Landry walked over to the coffee pot, primarily to give himself time to think.  He took his time, pouring a cup, then turned to Delek.

“When was the Tok’ra planning on telling us about this…this turn of events?”

 _“I assure you, we would not have kept this to ourselves.  A Tok’ra gaining this level of power would be as dangerous as a System Lord, if left to develop an army.  We do believe that without legions of Jaffa to support them, the danger is somewhat limited._

“The danger limited, really.  One Goa’uld on the loose, building an army constitutes ‘limited danger’, you seriously believe that.”

 _“General, I would request that you use the term Tok’ra when referring to us.  I do not appreciate being called a Goa’uld.”_ __

Landry’s face hardened, “You don’t like being called a Goa’uld when you just said some of your own are behaving like them.  I’m beginning to have difficulty telling the difference.  Now, start talking….what is Tovar up to and where the hell are my men.”

 _“That’s just it, we don’t know.  As soon as we discovered that Tovar, or more accurately, Partak, may have included the SGC in his plot, I came straight here. We are not trying to hide anything from you, general.  For Tovar to involve the SG…”_ The sound of the stargate activating interrupted Delek.

Landry rose, “With any luck that will be Dr. Jackson.  I want him involved in this.”  Landry strode to the window overlooking the gate room as he heard the iris open. A harried Daniel Jackson emerged from the gate, speaking to a Marine on gate duty.  By the time Landry returned to his chair, Jackson had made it to the top of the stairs.

“What’s going on?”

Landry scoffed, “Well; a wanna-be system lord who is actually a Tok’ra came here with a story about finding an Ancient city on a planet in the Milky Way. They needed Colonel Sheppard’s assistance. So, I called Sheppard here. He, Mitchell, and SG-8 left yesterday with two Tok’ra operatives to search for the city.”

Jackson looked stunned, “An ancient city?”  Are you sure this isn’t just more data about Atlantis?” 

Lee replied, “No, I don’t think so, Daniel; I reviewed all the data Tovar brought us.  I mean, I’m no archeologist, but I have to say that the data was compelling.  I really be…”

“Dr. Lee, we get it, you believe this is real…Jackson, I want you to review this information.  At the moment, I have six men missing, and Delek tells me he doesn’t know where they are.  You need to give me a place to start looking.”

“Who’s this wanna-be system lord?  I really don’t want to have to deal with them anymore.”  Jackson shuddered.

“His name is Tovar or Partak, I guess, and…” Once again, the gate activated.  Instead of rising, Landry contacted the control room. “What now?” 

Over the intercom, the gate tech announced that the IDC belonged to SG-8. With that news, everyone bolted for the gate room. As they arrived, Mitchell was exiting the gate, followed by Captain Maris and the other two Marines carrying their still unconscious teammate. Noticeably absent was Colonel Sheppard.

“Colonel, what happened? Where’s Sheppard?”  Landry asked as he heard the control room tech calling a med team to the gate.

“We were ambushed sir, hit with stun weapons, when we came to, we were on another planet.  Sheppard wasn’t with us; he must still be with Selana and Curnon.” 

The med team descended on the gate room, Dr. Lam leading the way. “General, you can speak with these men once I’ve checked them over.” 

Landry nodded, “Go on, get checked out.  We’ll talk in a bit; there are some developments you are going to want to hear.”  

+++++++ 

When Sheppard awoke the second time, he felt much stronger.  The pain in his abdomen was almost gone and he struggled to sit up.  He felt an ache above his left eye; touching his forehead, he cringed at the tenderness. As he did, he felt Lanar’s presence. 

 _“You should feel better.  I have repaired most of the damage to your body.  You will still be weak for awhile, however.  I can stimulate new blood cells to reproduce at a faster than normal pace, but it will take time.”_ __

“Yeah, I feel better, uh….thanks.”  Sheppard reached for the canteen on his belt, taking a drink of cool water before he continued. “It’s time for you to tell me what’s going on. You told me that Tovar had ordered no one to be killed, yet Selana is dead.”

 _“Yes, it is time for you to know the truth.  However, if you feel up to it, let’s begin to search for Partak and his men.  We must find them quickly, they must be stopped. While we are moving, I will tell you what has led to this unfortunate turn of events._ __

Sheppard wasn’t certain that standing up was a good idea, but he knew the Tok’ra was right.  It was time to put a stop to whatever Tovar planned.  He placed his left hand against a tree and pushed himself to his feet.  Once standing, he held on to the tree as the dizziness faded away.

“Which way?”

 _“I believe that north is the direction we wish to go in, colonel.  We are on the planet where the Ancient city is located.  If we go north, we should come across Partak.  You should continue to call him Tovar, by the way; it will be less suspicious if you do. I will endeavor to call him that as well, so not to confuse you. He does not realize that you were injured, so they are searching for you much further away.”_

Taking a deep breath, Sheppard looked to the sky to determine the source of the sunlight.  Once he got his bearings, he started making his way across the forest floor. 

“OK, start talking.”

 _“Let me start with what happened prior to your injury and why I had to find you.  As I told you, Tovar did not want to kill anyone, at least unnecessarily.  He had his plan worked out, and he did not desire extra security to accompany you. He had hoped that you would come alone on the mission, but of course, your people are protective.”_ __

“Not sure protective is the appropriate word. Perhaps cautious might be a better choice.”  As he spoke, Sheppard sensed a glimmer of humor in Lanar’s thoughts.

 _“No, if General Landry is like General Hammond, protective is the correct word. Tovar decided that he needed to make it appear that you, along with Selana and Curnon had been captured by mercenaries looking for the Ancient city.  Tovar procured the weapons used from mercenaries with whom he has an association. He did not wish to use the zat'ni'katel as he feared you might put things together too quickly. He did order that the weapons be set on stun. They stunned the others with you and then took them through the gate, leaving them on a planet that has been uninhabited since the Ori plague outbreak decimated the population.”_ __

“Selana; I thought she was hit by weapon’s fire.”  He stumbled over a thick vine. Grabbing a tree for support, he stopped a minute to catch his breath.

 _“No, they fired close to her; she was to fall as if she had been hit.  That is why she lagged behind you.  However, she lost her footing and fell down the river bank, striking her head on a rock.  That injury was what eventually killed her. Tovar had no intention of killing her.  However, that would have definitely changed if he had known the truth.”_

“There’s been little truth told from the beginning of this outing. What truth are you expecting me to believe now?”

 _“Colonel, I realize you have no reason to trust me. However, I am part of you now.  You can access my thoughts, as well as I can yours.  Concentrate, you will see that I am telling the truth.”_ __

Sheppard was reluctant. He was still reeling from the injury, and the fact that there was an alien entity in his head.  However, he was a rational man, and his military training overcame his disgust regarding the situation.  Allowing his mind to clear, he felt the thoughts of his companion drift through his consciousness.

“You and Selana were working undercover to find out what Tovar was planning? Tovar is Tok’ra, what would cause you to investigate one of your own?”

 _“Despite what the SGC thinks about the Tok’ra, we are not all cut from the same cloth.  After the fall of the System Lords, we wished to live our lives no longer on the run.  The Tok’ra established the first permanent home we have ever had.  I, for one, was happy to be away from those heinous tunnels. However, even before that time, as the Jaffa began to rebel, unrest was penetrating our ranks.  We had severed our relationship with the SGC, although we did assist the Tau’ri at times after that.  I do not believe that it was ever our intention to no longer have a relationship with you.  But we were dying at such rapid rate that we felt we had to protect ourselves.  Unfortunately, some Tok’ra were not as pure of thought as we had hoped. It started with a Tok’ra, who betrayed the Jaffa and the Tau’ri, resulting in an ambush on the secret Tau’ri base.   Many died that day, many from all sides.”_ __

“I have read those mission reports, not the Tok’ra’s finest hour.”

 _“No, it wasn’t and many of us regret that, but we did help with the Ori, colonel.  Hopefully, that will give us credibility with the Tau’ri now.  I believe we will need that.”_ __

“I’ll ask again.  Is there really an Ancient city, or is there something else going on?”

“ _We are certain that the city exists. The Tok’ra are scientists, predominantly; the data I have seen appears factual.  I believe that the Ancient city is located on this planet._

_“However, we are still unclear of what these renegades’ intentions are.  It may be just as simple as finding powerful devices to assist them in establishing themselves as a force to be reckoned with in the galaxy.  Ancient artifacts that you have identified and initiated for them, could go a long way in providing them power.”_ __

“So, we continue to operate uncover, not letting the Tok’ra renegades know that I know about this plot.”

 _“Yes, we need to know what they are planning.”_ __

“There’s a problem with that, won’t the other Tok’ra be able to sense your presence in me?  A colleague of mine, Colonel Carter, served as a host to a Tok’ra, naquadah traces were left in her system, and she could sense other Goa…Tok’ra. Won’t they immediately?”

 _“Yes, you are correct, but I have given that some thought, colonel.  I believe you are capable of hiding me.”_ __

“Hiding you, how?”

 _“Naquadah is part of our genetic make-up.  The mineral acts as one of the bonds that hold our DNA together.  The stargate and other Ancient devices are constructed from naquadah.  You possess the genetic ability to control devices made of the mineral.  I believe that you can mask my presence, at least to a small number of Tok’ra.  I would suggest that you not offer to return to the Tok’ra home world, however.  I am not certain that you would have the ability to hide me among the detection abilities of many Tok’ra at once.”_ __

“I act like you aren’t there, and you provide me with some insider information, sounds like a plan” Sheppard paused.  “You are called Lanar, correct?”  He felt the Tok’ra say yes. “I have to ask you, is it possible to have you removed at some point. I mean, find another host? I really don’t like having you in my head.”

 _“I promise, colonel. I will not ask you to remain as my host.  However, we must work together for now.  I have repaired most of the damage to your body.  You should be able to pass off your injury as minor when they find you.  I suggest you say you hit your head. You actually do have a minor injury, a swollen bruised area on your forehead.  I have left that unhealed as proof that you were unconscious.  Now we should concentrate on finding our quarry.  Please do not hesitate to rest when you need to; you must be ready to stop these traitors.”_

                                                                                        +++++++ 

Landry had resisted the urge to pace over the last two hours.  He had also resisted the urge to throttle Bill Lee; the scientist was a brilliant man, but aggravating.  He and Dr. Jackson had been squabbling for the last ten minutes over a minor detail in the report that Delek had provided.  The Tok’ra had been sitting quietly while the two scientists reviewed the data. Landry, however, was pretty certain that Delek was as aggravated as he was.

A sputtering no, no, no, from Dr. Lee, sent Landry over the edge, “Gentlemen, enough.  We are getting nowhere.  Dr. Jackson, your thoughts so far?”

“This is very exciting, general.  I believe that this city exists; just where it exists is the question.  We have run the original gate addresses that Partak provided. Except for the planet that Sheppard and Cam gated to, the planet descriptions don’t match.”

“That planet was a decoy from the beginning.”   The men in the room looked up to see Cam Mitchell at the top of the stairs.

“Colonel, welcome; you up to debrief?” Landry questioned.

“Yeah, Lam discharged everyone except Harrelson.  He’s awake though, Lam says he’ll be fine.”  He took a seat next to Lee.

“They set us up; led us on a wild goose chase.  Said that they were being followed by a group of mercenaries who wanted the treasures of the city, and they wanted to flush them out. Curnon told us that bringing SG-8 had spoiled their plans to identify the bad guys.  We scared them off.  I personally don’t believe that for one second.”  Mitchell turned toward Delek, “General Landry came to the infirmary to bring me up to speed.  What the hell have they done with Sheppard?”

 _“I do not know, colonel. I do not believe they plan on harming him.”_ __

Mitchell scoffed, “You don’t know that for certain.  Once they find him useful, I doubt they will allow him to leave.  I want to know where they are.”

Delek dropped his head, and when he spoke again, his voice was normal. “Colonel, I am Saynar, Delek’s host.  He is telling you the truth; he doesn’t know where Colonel Sheppard or the ancient city is. He doesn’t know.” 

Saynar dropped his head and Delek spoke once more.  _“I apologize. My host is usually quite shy and does not speak often, but he asked to speak with you.”_ __

From the irritated look on Mitchell’s face, he wasn’t buying it. “Your host’s faith in you, doesn’t impress me.  Your cooperation in helping us find Colonel Sheppard is the only thing that will impress me, Delek.”Delek did not reply.

Jackson interrupted, “The fact is, we don’t know where this city is, although there are some clues that might narrow the search down.  General, I think we need assistance.  We need to send this data to Atlantis, McKay and his people might be able to shed some light on this.  There could be something in the Atlantis database on this city.”

Mitchell added, “Besides, none of us have the gene.  We’re gonna need some of the Atlantis personnel once we find the city.”

“Agreed, Dr. Jackson; you and Mitchell contact Atlantis, let them know what’s going on. Tell them to get here as soon as they can.  We have a colonel to find.” 

+++++++

Sheppard was surprised at how much energy he had after what he had gone through.  He stopped only once, for a brief rest and to eat a powerbar during the long trek. During the passing hours, Lanar had given him as much information as he knew about the city, which was considerably more than Tovar had given them.  If what Lanar said was true, this city could be a huge find. Opening more questions about the Ancients than he expected it would answer. 

He was becoming concerned about whether or not he was lost. “Lanar, are you certain we’re heading in the right direction.”  He shuddered when he realized he was referring to them, as ‘we’.  Maybe his association with Atlantis was allowing him to become resigned to this relationship with Lanar.  Resigned, at least, on one level; on another level, it was just creepy.

 _“I am certain.  I do not believe it will be much longer before we encounter the others.”_

Sheppard had walked a few more yards before Lanar spoke again. _“Colonel, I must warn you, normally when angry, excited, extremely agitated, the naquadah causes a flash of light to illuminate our eyes.  This also occurs when we slip between host and Tok’ra control.  You must be careful and control this. The Tok’ra dip their head and hide their eyes, this symbol of the Goa’uld is distasteful to us.  If you give us away, Partak will know that he is discovered. We will both die.”_ __

“Yeah, well, no pressure there.”  Again, Sheppard felt a glimmer of humor in Lanar’s demeanor. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

 _“Again, I think that your ability to control Ancient items, will allow you to control your reactions.  I will do my best to control mine.”_ __

Sheppard froze at the sound of a branch breaking nearby. He thought, “Looks like it show time, Lanar.”  Remaining calm, Sheppard turned, and became face to face with Curnon.

The Tok’ra stared at him for a moment.  “Colonel Sheppard, we are relieved to find you alive.  We were quite concerned. You appeared injured, are you alright?”

“I tripped running from the mercenaries; hit my head.  I was unconscious for a while; other than a slight headache, I’m fine.”  He touched his abdomen, the tear through his clothing and the blood was visible. “Fell onto something and scratched myself up.  What about my people?  What happened to Mitchell and the team?”

“First, colonel, it is fortunate that you were not injured more severely. As for Colonel Mitchell and the others, we can only assume they have been captured by the renegades.  As soon as I came to, I returned to the gate and contacted Tavor. He sent teams to look for everyone, and personally came to oversee the search for you.  Selana; have you seen her?  We have not been able to locate her.”

“Selana’s dead.  I followed the river for a while trying to get away from the renegades. I spotted her body, washed downriver, trapped on the opposite side.  I couldn’t get to her.”

A deep voice permeated the quiet forest, “That is regrettable, colonel.  Selana was an excellent host and intelligent in her own right.  The death of Lanar, the Tok’ra she hosted, is a great loss to our people.  He will be greatly missed for his wisdom and counsel.”

Sheppard turned toward the voice.  Tovar was standing further down the overgrown path with two other Tok’ra that he had not seen before. “But I do have good news, colonel.  We are very close to the city.  We have found a path paved with stone which we think will take us to the entrance.”  He stood aside and motioned for Sheppard to walk ahead of him.”

“Great, at least, there is that.” Sheppard said as he passed Tovar waiting for any reaction regarding his ‘companion’, Lanar.  If Tovar realized that he was hosting Lanar, he didn’t exhibit it.  Sheppard uttered a small sigh of relief, thinking maybe they could pull this off.”  Again, he felt Lanar’s thoughts, _“Be on guard, colonel.  Partak is not a fool.”_ __

 


	3. Discovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An old ally may have stumbled on an important discovery in the Milky Way galaxy and requests John Sheppard’s help, but things are never what they seem.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Word Count: Chapter 3: 4,291  
> Spoilers: Some general SG-1 mentions.  
> Warnings: Sporadic Language  
> Disclaimer: I do not own them; I would have treated them better.

**Chapter Three    Discovery**

 

The constricted, overgrown trail that Sheppard had been following from the river soon ran into a wider, more defined roadway.  He assumed it was the same path that originated at the stargate.  Large rectangles of stone, worn with age, lay under their feet.  Along the edges, Sheppard could make out Ancient print, much like that carved on the ruins at the stargate.

As he followed two of the several Tok’ra that had apparently accompanied Tovar, he recalled the additional information that Lanar had given him about the Ancient city.  Tovar had only revealed second hand reports of a city in ruins located on a heavily forested planet.  A large compound, surrounded by thick walls of carved stone soaring high into the air. What Tovar did not tell the SGC was that he had visited the city already, but could not get inside.  No matter what the first group of Tok’ra to arrive had tried, they were prevented from entering.  It was then, that Partak, who was a member of the Tok’ra High Council, had remembered being briefed on the city of Atlantis during the fight against the Ori.  From the description, Tovar deduced that the city could possibly be ancient, and he began to formulate a plan; a plan centered on Colonel John Sheppard.

High above them, sunlight blazed atop the leafy canopy, but below it was cool, damp, and dark.  They continued on for another thirty minutes when the wall surrounding the citadel came into view.

There were tall, narrow four-sided structures protruding about three feet from the ground along the path. As Sheppard approached, one by one translucent panels inserted in the shafts began to glow.  By the time he stood in front of the massive gate, the area had taken on a soft blue-green shimmer.  The gate doors were at least fifteen feet tall, made of familiar metal, and resembled the doorways on Atlantis.  To the right of the gate, a large panel with three rectangular crystal bars was glowing as well.

Sheppard had stopped about two feet from the gate, his heart beating wildly.  There was no mistaking the architecture, the inlaid carvings in the walls definitely resembled Ancient architecture.  He estimated that the walls were at least five stories high.  Tenuously, he reached out and touched the wall beneath the door control panel. Immediately, familiar sensations coursed through him. There was a feeling that something was trying to communicate with him.

“Colonel, are you alright?”  Tovar asked.

Sheppard realized that he was staring at the sight in front of him, oblivious to all else. “Yeah...I’m fine…I just didn’t expect it to be so large.”

Another, quieter voice spoke to him,“ _Colonel; your concentration slipped. Do not forget, you must mask my presence.”_ __

Sheppard acknowledged Lanar, but spoke to Tovar. “This is Ancient technology; there is no question about it.  Why it’s here is the question.”  He quickly turned away from Tovar, concentrating again on the gate.

Tovar, who had been standing several feet from the gate, rushed to join him. Sheppard had moved in front of the panel, when Tovar caught up with him. “Colonel, this is amazing.  The gene you carry caused the lights along the path to glow, did it not?”

Sheppard smiled slightly as he observed the incredulous look on the Tok’ra’s face, “Yeah, the gene is most likely causing the reaction.” 

“I…I am impressed.”

“Well, hold that thought; we aren’t inside yet.  You ready to try?”  Tovar nodded and Sheppard reached up to pass his hand in front of the gate controls. Within seconds, the double doors of the gate began to slide apart.

Sheppard turned to Tovar, “After you,” as he swung his arm to indicate for Tovar to walk inside.

“No, colonel, after you,” Tovar said, a strange expression crossing his face.

Sheppard shrugged, wondering if the Tok’ra had just shown a slight bit of fear.  Lanar whispered in his mind, _“I believe fear is an apt description, colonel_.” Laughing inwardly, Sheppard walked into the citadel. 

+++++++ 

The event horizon hadn’t completely dissipated, and Landry’s headache was in full bloom; the cause, Dr. Rodney McKay. The Atlantis science director walked right up to him, pressing his nose into the general’s face.

“How the hell did you people lose a colonel?  Do you have any idea where Sheppard is yet?”

Landry’s face remained impassive as he answered, “No; do you?”

McKay frowned, then uttering a grumpy noise, spun away from the general, heading for Dr. Lee.  Mitchell corralled Major Lorne and they approached Landry. Lorne was grinning slyly.

“I see you’ve had a taste of Dr. McKay when one of his fellow teammates is missing, worse of course, when it’s the colonel.  Sorry, sir, Colonel Sheppard can usually keep him in line; not an easy task for the rest of us.”

“I feel your pain, major.  Did you guys come up with anything?”

“Actually sir, Dr. Zelenka remembered an obscure entry in the Atlantis database about an abandoned city.  There wasn’t much, and it was kind of generally thought it might refer to the crashed city-ship that was located early in the expedition.  Dr. Z said there was nothing to make them think it was in another galaxy at the time.  He’s currently looking for the reference, and then he’ll join us.  No one knows the Ancient database like Dr. Zelenka; even McKay will almost admit that, so we need him here. Dr. Beckett is also joining us; he was finishing up at an off-world clinic.  He and I have the strongest natural genes other than Colonel Sheppard.  We have a science team and three squads of Marines with us. All have the gene.  I also have three jumper teams standing by in case we can use them.  Only people I didn’t bring were Ronon and Teyla.  They’re on MX9-716 evacuating several villages after a flood; Woolsey hasn’t informed them yet.”

“Good job, major.  Now let’s hope that we have someplace to send you, soon.”

Within the hour, Zelenka and Beckett arrived and the science team set up in a lab just off the gate room.  Delek had sequestered himself with the scientists trying to assist them in finding the planet. Landry had stopped in at one point and found them working intently, McKay pushing, pushing.  As he watched he realized that there was a method to McKay’s behavior.  He needled, cajoled, chastised; yet everyone one of the scientists working with him seemed to rise to the challenge and pushed themselves harder.  Whether it was to get the job done despite McKay or because of him, Landry wasn’t certain.  He just knew McKay got results.  He had no doubts that McKay and his team would uncover the location of the citadel and Sheppard. 

+++++++ 

After nearly six years of stargate travel, there wasn’t a lot that impressed or surprised John Sheppard.  However, as he passed through the thick outer wall of the citadel, what awaited them inside did both.

The forest had encroached on the grounds, but it was clear that at one time there were vast gardens intertwined with several large buildings.  Many of the building silhouettes were very similar to those on Atlantis, but appeared to have been built of a combination of stone and metal.  Instead of soaring towers, the buildings varied between five and ten stories tall. While they showed signs of wear, the buildings were in far better condition than the structures at the stargate.

 _“Colonel, does this appear to be of Ancient origin?”_  The voice was Partak’s, not Tovar’s.

Sheppard tore his eyes away from the view to look at Partak, “Yes. It’s definitely Ancient.” 

He began walking. The closest building was located approximately fifty yards down the main pathway. The entry doors mimicked the main citadel gate.  As he stepped onto the portico, lights recessed around the door began to glow, as did an access panel next to the door.  Sheppard passed his hand in front of the panel and, with some difficulty, the doors slid open and Sheppard stepped inside.

The entry reminded him somewhat of the gate room.  The two story chamber extended the depth of the building; the far wall consisted of familiar patterned glass panels. Soft green, yellow, and purple colors creating curved patterns, rather than the angular designs that appeared on Atlantis, decorated the glass. Staircases led to mezzanines on each side of the room; the risers glowing with Ancient symbols, spelling out similar welcoming phrases to those on the Atlantis gate room stairs.  Glass walled cubicles containing small desks and chairs lined the mezzanines. Sitting areas of deep green or grey chairs and couches were scattered about the ground floor.

“What is this place?”  Tovar was standing in the middle of the room, slowly turning around to take in the vista.

“My guess is some kind of welcome center.  Welcoming us to what; that’s the question.” 

Sheppard’s gaze took him beyond the glass wall out onto an expansive plaza. He headed toward the glass paneled doors set in the center of the far wall. Buildings lined the perimeter of the plaza, but what caught his attention was a tall, narrow structure sitting in the middle of the open space.  A glass tower shaped like a ZPM. He thought the glass doors open, quickly striding toward the tower.

Tovar caught up with him, his eyes darting around, taking in everything.  He pointed to the glass tower, “What is this place?”

“Don’t know; I suggest we go find out.”  He swiped the door control. Entering the glass enclosure, his heart began pounding in his chest again.  He felt Lanar’s voice.

 _“Colonel, you seem quite excited. This building must be very important.”_

Sheppard didn’t reply; he stood staring at the pedestal that sat in the center of the room.  The pedestal was very familiar, as were the three ZPM’s glowing softly in the shadows.  He silently replied to Lanar, “Yeah, you could say that.” 

Tovar’s voice was demanding as he reached out and roughly shook Sheppard’s shoulder, “I asked you a question, is that a power source? Those are ZPM’s?”

Jerking his shoulder away from Tovar’s grasp, he glared at the Tok’ra. “Don’t grab me like that again.  To answer your question, yes, those are ZPM’s.”

Motioning to Curnon and another Tok’ra to approach, he seemed very pleased, “This is what we came for, we need those ZPM’s” 

They’re the power source, not the treasure you are looking for.” 

Tovar’s head dropped and as he quickly looked up again, Sheppard saw a faint glow fading from his eyes.  Partak was becoming sloppy, apparently finding it harder to hide behind the persona of a benevolent Tok’ra.  Partak’s deep resonant voice permeated the quiet.

 _“Alright, colonel, we will do this your way, for now.  I agree. We should see what other wonders exist here.”_

Sheppard didn’t bother replying.  His attention was on the top of a staircase railing that disappeared into the floor.  He circled the pedestal, peering over the edge of the railing into the darkness. 

“What is down there?”  Tovar’s voice had returned.

“Time to find out,” Sheppard replied. He stepped onto the first step, causing the stairwell to illuminate.  The stairs curved slightly toward the center of the sunken room.  As he stepped onto the floor, the wall scones slowly brightened revealing curved walls lined with what could only be stasis pods. 

The dark gray pods were approximately eight feet tall and approximately four feet wide.  Translucent panels extended the length of the pods, revealing a faintly glowing smoky interior. Sheppard walked along the pods, examining the panels.  As far as he could tell, the indicators seemed to show that the chambers were in working order.  How much he would like to have McKay with him right now to decipher the readings floated through his mind.  He had no sooner completed that thought when Lanar remarked.

 _“Yes, you are interpreting the readings correctly.  These chambers appear to be in working order.  The beings inside are in exceptional condition.”_

Without realizing it, Sheppard spoke out loud, “So, they’re alive?”  He caught himself from saying anything else, but from the look on Tovar’s face, he regretted not being more careful.  He had noticed the Tok’ra looking at him suspiciously since they had met up.

Within the pod, visibility was improving as a soft swooshing sound seemed to indicate that the gaseous interior was being vented.

They watched in silence as the pod’s interior cleared and the outline of a figure became visible.  As soon as the all lights above the door turned green, the door hissed and opened.  Sheppard and Tok’ra alike held their breath as a tall, slender figure emerged. 

The being was humanoid, apparently male, and was quite tall; Sheppard estimated close to seven feet.  He was very slender. His long dark hair held in place with an embroidered headband.  He was wearing loose-fitting tunic and pants, simple slippers on his feet.  His wide dark eyes immediately tracked to Sheppard, and he glided more than walked toward the colonel. 

“Please do not be alarmed. I am Ganero and I am the Master of the Arx.  It has been many, many years since we were awakened by an Elago Unes. Welcome.”

“I am Colonel John Sheppard; this is Tovar of the Tok’ra.”

“I have been awakened by your appearance.  We are here to serve, allow me to awaken the others.”

“Wait, before you do, can you answer some questions for us?”

“You are Elago Unes.  I will answer any questions that you have.”

“Well, for starters, what’s an ‘elago unes’?

“You are among the select ones. We are here to serve you as we serve the others.”

Tovar moved closer, but it was Partak who spoke, _“What do you do for the select ones?”_ __

“We serve their every need, provide them with knowledge, wisdom, empower them. We give to them the untold treasures of the universe in order to prepare them for service.”

Sheppard was watching Ganero intently.  He failed to notice the two Tok’ra who accompanied Tovar into the chamber raise their weapons which they had hidden under their tunics. Partak’s voice reverberated very close to him.

 _“Yes, I believe we have what we need.  This place will do fine to serve as our base while we learn those secrets that will prepare us to return the days of the Goa’uld Lords.”_ __

Ganero reacted in fear, “I do not understand; you bring weapons into the Arx.  It is forbidden.  We are committed to learning, to peace.  You must leave now.”  He turned to Sheppard, “You are Elago Unes, dispel them.”

Sheppard turned to Tovar-Partak, already trying to determine what resources might be available to him to stop the rogue Tok’ra.  Before he could do anything, one of the Tok’ra reacted to Partak’s order to stun him.  The bright blue light from the weapon enveloped him, and he fell to the floor. 

+++++++ 

Rodney McKay was frustrated.  Sheppard was missing and he didn’t believe they were any closer to discovering the location of the so-called citadel. He had gone to the mess to grab something to eat and to think.  The silence in the lab where they had set up was deafening.  The background noise from the chatter of people seemed more conducive to his thinking.  He was staring into the distance when Cam Mitchell sat down across from him.

“McKay?” 

McKay finally reacted to Mitchell snapping his fingers in his face. “What?  What do you want, colonel?”

“Well, if you want to know, I just wanted to see if you were OK?”

Sighing deeply, he answered, “I am not OK…Sheppard’s in trouble, and we are no closer to knowing where he is than we were several hours ago.”

“The lead that Zelenka had didn’t pan out?”

McKay frowned, “That’s just it…it seems to be a reference that is out of place somehow.  Zelenka found the mention of an Ancient city in a section of the database devoted to learning or training.  We’ve only just begun to investigate that section of the database.  We’d sort of been side-tracked the last few years by needing to know about weapons and shields and stuff.  This data was left for the luxury of time.  Yeah, like we will ever have that.”

The frustration in McKay’s face was obvious, and Mitchell fumbled over his words in reply, “McKay…I …you know that John’s resourceful and damn smart.  He’ll survive until we… you, figure out where he is.  Then we’ll go get him.” 

McKay looked at Mitchell and was about to answer when the overhead intercom cackled, “Colonel Mitchell, Dr. McKay, please report to the gate room.” 

They hurried into the gate room to find Landry, Lorne, and Delek facing three arriving Tok’ra.  One of the Tok’ra was restrained; her hands cuffed behind her back.

“General, who’s our new friend?”  Mitchell asked.

“Ah, colonel, we may have gotten lucky.  I’ll allow Delek to explain.”

“ _This, this is the Tok’ra Malon. She was an assistant to Partak regarding his duties as a member of the High Council. We have determined that she was in collusion with Partak and the others.  My operatives tell me she has information.”_ __

Malon’s eyes glowed brightly, her anger and defiance evident _. “I will tell you nothing.  The Goa’uld will rise again, and the Tau’ri cannot stop us.”_ __

Before anyone else could reply, Delek leaned into Malon’s face. _“We will stop you.  The Tok’ra will not allow the resurgence of the Goa’uld by our own kind.  You are not Goa’uld. You are only a weak Tok’ra who wishes to pretend to be powerful.  You are not powerful. You are only pathetic.”_ __

Landry intervened, “Get this woman to a holding room and keep a guard on her.”  As the Tok’ra and Marines led Malon out of the gate room, Delek addressed the others.

 _“Since we last met, we have developed new methods of interrogation.  I am not pleased to admit this, but the Council recognized that some among our ranks might desire power once the threat of the System Lords was alleviated.  After all, all races are the same; the hunger for power and wealth always seems to show itself.  The Tok’ra, who accompanied the prisoner, brought a drug which will force the truth from her.  Malon may know where this citadel is located.”_ __

Mitchell spoke for all of them, “It’s about fucking time we got a break.”

Dr. Lam had intervened, only allowing the interrogation if conducted in the infirmary.  After discussing the process with Delek and discovering that the host could be at risk from the drug, she demanded that the drug be administered under her watch. 

One of the Tok’ra dispensed the drug, a highly potent truth serum, by injection into Malon’s brain stem.  The drug would quickly flood the Tok’ra’s neural system, forcing her to tell the truth.  Immediately, the host’s eyes opened, glowing brightly.

Delek addressed her,“ _Malon; we have uncovered facts that you are a member of Partak’s plan to revive the Goa’uld dynasty.  Do not attempt to deceive us, the drug, we just administered to you, will prevent you from lying.  Now, tell me where is Partak?”_ __

_“I do not know.”_ __

_“You do not know…elaborate.”_ __

_“He is on a quest for to uncover technology that will assist us in obtaining power, but his exact whereabouts is unknown to me.”_ __

_“Do you have a general idea of where he might be?”_ __

“ _I have been told he is on a planet where he suspects there is Ancient technology.”_

 _“What is the gate address to the planet he is on?”_ __

_“I do not know.  Partak kept that information to himself.  Only he and Curnon knew the exact location. I only know that the planet is in the Karmani system.”_

Landry turned to Mitchell, “Go, tell McKay.”

+++++++

“He is awakening, master.”

Sheppard heard a soft rustle near by and sensed someone sit down next to him.  He slowly opened his eyes to see Ganero smiling at him. Looking past the master, Sheppard saw that Partak must have released everyone who had been in stasis.  There were several others dressed like Ganero scattered about the room.

“Welcome back to us, Colonel John Sheppard.  We are pleased you are not seriously injured.”  He sat up with Ganero assistance. “How are you feeling?”

Thanks to Lanar, he felt better than he normally would have after being stunned. “I’m fine.”

“Lanar said you would be.”  Ganero smiled was a bit brighter.

“Lanar; you know about Lanar?”

“Yes, I detected the presence of the beings in all of you when I was awakened.  I admit that I was confused that you, who possess the Alteran cistron, were host to a serpent.  We, of course, know of the Goa’uld and the Tok’ra. However, our contact has been limited in the last millennia. My race is telepathic, colonel; while you were recovering, I was able to link with Lanar.  He has given us detailed information about what has occurred and what is occurring now.  We must work together to thwart these renegade Tok’ra.  We cannot allow the Goa’uld to regain a foothold in this galaxy or anywhere else.”

 _“Colonel_ , _he speaks the truth; he can communicate with me.  I have provided Ganero with information regarding our situation. He has explained the nature of this facility and what is available here.  I believe the means for you to defeat Partak and his minions exists.”_ __

“How long was I out?”

 _“Nearly an hour, I couldn’t risk exerting the energy to revive you while Partak and his men were close to you.  It was only after he removed the others from stasis and moved us all here that I took the chance to expend the energy necessary. I must tell you that I am concerned that he suspects my presence.”_

“Where’s Tovar? Well, I guess I should call him Partak; where is he?”

“We have not seen him, since we were brought here, but I believe he is conferring with his people; more have arrived.”  Ganero answered.

Sheppard straightened up at the news, “How many more?”

Ganero turned to one of his companions, “Guide Lerat, did you see how many arrived?”

“Master, I counted at least twenty.  They were carrying weapons.”

Lanar commented, _“I would imagine he had them waiting near-by, all along._ ”

“Ganero, what is this place.”  Sheppard asked.

The master rose from the upholstered bench that Sheppard was sitting on, and walked to a translucent panel on the wall.  With a wave of his hand, the panel displayed an image of the outside main gate, surrounded by beautiful landscaping, bathed in daylight.  As the imposing entry gate doors parted, the citadel came into view. Appearing as it had once stood, pristine buildings, glass glimmering brightly in the sunshine, colorful gardens adorned with statues and fountains.

“This is how the Arx appeared when my people and the Alterans, along with the Nox populated this galaxy.  Races from other galaxies visited the Arx regularly; taking advantage of the information stored here, science, literature, arts.  We provided the civilized populations of the universe with knowledge; teaching became part of our offerings. We soon became the repository of knowledge of the four races once the Asgard joined us. We educated countless thousands of beings in the knowledge we possessed.”

Ganero paused as he watched the images slide across the screen, then turned back to Sheppard. “Colonel, those who carried the cistron…”

Sheppard interrupted, “Cistron…do you mean gene?  Whatever it is that I have that controls Ancient devices?”

The master smiled, “Yes, although it is strange to hear the Alterans referred to as Ancients…I suppose they were in my time as well.  The Alterans are considered to be the oldest race in the universe, although there are stories of a much older race.  The fact is that the Alterans created and constructed the Arx.  Our love of the arts and sciences led them to ask my people to be the caretakers of this repository, a role which we gladly accepted.  This Arx stood as the universe’s center of knowledge for thousands of years.  Until the plague hit that is, the Alterans were dying, as were my people.  Many followed their chosen path to ascension. Many others left this galaxy, some in their city-ships, some in their large star cruisers.  Some Alterans chose to leave with my people, all spreading to other galaxies.  My companions and I were free from the plague, and volunteered to remain here in stasis until someone came to revive us. The Alterans placed defensive measures around the Arx and locked the facility from access by anyone except an Elago Unes.  Your cistron is special, colonel.  Few among your race have the form of the cistron, gene that you have.  We could not have been revived, unless one of Elago Unes discovered us.  The Alterans meant for the Arx to survive.”

Sheppard didn’t comment, even Lanar was silent.  So many thoughts racing through his head, but he did have one definite question.

“Ganero, you mentioned your race, but you have yet to reveal who you are.”

Ganero’s face was haunted for a brief second, then he answered, “We are the Furlings.”

 

 

 


	4. Ressurection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An old ally may have stumbled on an important discovery in the Milky Way galaxy and requests John Sheppard’s help, but things are never what they seem.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Word Count: Chapter 4: 5,772  
> Spoilers: Some general SG-1 mentions.  
> Warnings: Sporadic Language  
> Disclaimer: I do not own them; I would have treated them better.

**Chapter 4    Resurrection**

 

General Landry had seen a lot of anxious military teams before, but the amount of adrenaline floating through the team assembly room across the hall from the gate room was thick.  The members of the Atlantis military contingent were waiting for a place to go, anywhere to go to find their CO. Some were pacing back and forth almost as if on sentry duty.  Some were playing cards, still others were checking their weapons.  Landry was considering sending them off-world somewhere just to bleed off the adrenaline.  However, if Colonel Sheppard’s possible location was determined, and they weren’t present when that happened, he’d have to find a place to hide.

Leaving the assembly room, he headed for the lab where McKay and his team were working.  Walking into the lab, he chuckled.  He wasn’t certain that the adrenaline was any thinner in the lab.  He spotted Daniel Jackson standing between McKay and Zelenka, both hunched over their laptops.  He headed toward them.

Catching Jackson’s eye, he quietly asked, “They find anything yet?” 

Jackson opened his mouth to answer but McKay spoke first, “No, _they_ haven’t.  And having people look over my shoulder is not helping.” 

“He’s a bit testy…hasn’t found anything yet.” Jackson whispered.

“Yeah, I get that.”  Landry whispered back, then louder said.  “Dr. McKay, we have a galaxy, how hard can it be to find an address.  The Asgard gave us all the addresses in this galaxy, didn’t they?”

McKay sighed, “Yes, they did, except the only gate address that we have for that system is for a planet that is currently registering subzero temperatures.  SG-14 filed a mission report two years ago after a brief visit.  The planet underwent a major cataclysmic event, huge volcano eruptions that changed the climate.  That is not where this ‘city’ is located.”

“Then Malon may have been wrong, or the wonder truth drug didn’t work?”

McKay sighed deeper, “Exactly.”

Landry turned to leave, when Radek’s excited voice broke the silence that had fallen, “Zjistily, že je, myslím, že!  I found it, at least I think so.”

Landry rushed back, “Found what?”

“The gate address; Rodney thought that if the Asgard didn’t provide the gate address to this planet there might be a reason.  I have been searching through the section of the Ancient database where we found the notation about the city.  I found an encrypted entry, which turned out to be a gate address.  Fortunately, Dr. Hightower had broken this encryption a long time ago. I can trace the gate address to the mention of the city.”

“You’re certain that this is the address we are looking for.” 

“Yes, general, it has to be.”

Landry wasn’t certain if ‘has to be’ was wishful or positive thinking, but he was going to run with it.  He tapped his com, “Mitchell, we have a gate address, get a MALP ready.

Within fifteen minutes, a MALP was ready to deploy to the planet with the Atlantis team standing by, waiting to follow. Drs. McKay, Jackson, and Zelenka entered the control where Mitchell and Landry waited. Major Lorne and Delek followed behind them.  Landry ordered the gate technician to dial the gate address Dr. Zelenka had located. They held their breath until the event horizon formed, and were quiet as the MALP rolled forward through the gate. 

McKay was staring intently at the monitor, as if willing the image to appear.  The camera slowly panned to the right, where the broken columns came into view, then panning back to the left, they could see the wide path leading away from the gate.  It was only when the MALP panned to the far left and the DHD came into view that the first sound was uttered in the control room. An audible gasp from Delek as two Tok’ra came into view.  They watched helplessly as one of the guards raised his weapon firing at the MALP. The image flickered and blacked out.

“Close the iris,” Landry barked. “Well, that should confirm what we needed to know.  That’s the correct gate address.”

“General, from the brief glimpse of the area, I believe there is room for the jumpers to navigate.  I think it’s time to bring in reinforcements.”

“I agree, major, make it happen.” 

+++++++

 _“Furlings?  Your race was believed to be extinct for millions of years. The Tok’ra have heard stories of the glory of the Furlings.  Of the beauty of your cities, of the music, the art, the amazing technology that rivaled the Alterans.  For many years, we only could dream of learning more about your people. Unfortunately, it is still a dream; we have no time to devote to study. The enemy is within once more.”_

Ganero smiled as he looked at Sheppard, “You seem a bit surprised as well, colonel.  I see that you have heard of my people.” 

“I’ve read enough SGC mission reports to have seen mention of the Furlings.  I have to admit, I don’t know a lot about you.”

“As Lanar mentioned, we have been thought to be extinct for eons, but we only left this galaxy for new worlds.  The plague also affected us; we fled as the Alterans did for self preservation.  Perhaps we were somewhat egotistical believing that we had something to offer the rest of the universe.”

“Do you have any idea what happen to your people?” 

“No, colonel, we do not, only if the Arx has been updated would we know anything.  There have been no updates since we were placed in stasis, eons ago. Unless you know, then the fate of my people is a mystery to us all.”

“Well, maybe one day, we will find out what happened to them, but right now, we need to worry about our own fate.  Ganero, what defenses did the Ancients put in place here?”

“We were intended to be a place of sanctuary, peace; only offering knowledge.  Before the Alteran’s left the planets they inhabited in this galaxy, they installed the Light Tower and the stasis pods, along with a defensive system.  There is a shield that surrounds the Arx, and they installed a sellas deep under one of the building.”

“Sellas?”

“A control device, one sits in it to operate the defense system.”

“A chair, a control chair, what building is it under?”

Ganero motioned to one of the guides, who pressed a button changing the screen to a map of the Arx.  The guide pointed to one building, “We are currently located here.  The building you seek is here on the other side of the Arx.”

“Where are we within this building?  I need to find a way out.”

“We are in a serenity lounge on the top floor, used for private meditation and study. That door is the only exit and it is locked.  We have already tried to open it but we could not.”

“Let’s see if my ‘cistron’ will override the door lock.”  He nodded his head to Ganero, then concentrated on releasing the lock. Silently the door slid open. “Sometimes having this thing in me is alright.”

 _“Thank you, colonel.”_ Lanar answered, again Sheppard could hear a note of amusement in the Tok’ra voice.

“I was referring to the gene. Don’t get comfortable, you’re not staying…right?”  He was certain he perceived a chuckle resonating in his head. 

Sheppard gingerly peered into the hallway and seeing no one, motioned for the others to follow. He whispered to Ganero, “We need to get you and your people to other location.  Is there a place you can hide?”

“There is a storage building at the rear of the Arx, where I will send the guides, but I will come with you. You will need my assistance.” He turned to the Guide Lerat, “ I need for you to lead the others to the servaro, split up and hide with in the pentrals.  Do not respond to anyone unless you hear from the colonel or me.” 

“No, master, we will not leave you.  We will stay together, this is our fight as well.”  Lerat was respectful but firm.

Ganero looked distressed, but Sheppard smiled, “Know how you feel, I have the same problem…sometimes my people don’t listen very well either.”

“This way to the transport chamber.”

Ganero led them to a translucent walled chamber in the center of the building. Sheppard stopped them before they entered the transport.  “Let me go first, there have to be guards somewhere.  Follow after a couple of minutes…hopefully it will be clear.”

He entered the transport; Ganero entered along with him. Sheppard chuckled, “You don’t listen either.”

“No, bit of character fault.” 

Ganero tapped a symbol on a glass panel embedded in the wall and within a flash of light; the doors opened revealing they were on the ground floor, in the narrow lobby facing the front doors. The floor was dark, but as Sheppard stepped out, the lights began to glow.  Quickly, he thought them off, there was still enough daylight for them to navigate the hallways.  He motioned for Ganero to wait while he crept closer to the double glass entrance doors. As he slid against the wall, Lanar spoke.

 _“There are three Tok’ra outside just outside the door, be careful.”_

Sheppard turned to Ganero, and saw that the guides had joined them. “We need a diversion.”  He motioned to the guides, “Go down the hall and hide. Ganero, with me.”

The guides slipped silently down past the door and disappeared into the darkness. Sheppard picked up a decorative statue from a small table along the inside wall and tossed it against the door.  The door slid open and one of Partak’s guards stepped partially into the corridor.  He started to turn toward Sheppard when one of the guides made a noise, gaining the guard’s attention.  He entered further, the door sliding closed.  As the Tok’ra guard started to move toward the noise, Sheppard hit him from behind with another statue, dropping the guard to the floor.  Quickly, the guides rushed up and pulled the Tok’ra down the hallway.  Sheppard retrieved the zat the guard had been carrying.

 _“Colonel, are you familiar with the zat'ni'katel? I know you have not used one before.”_

“Yeah, one stun, two kill, three vaporize; anything else?”

 _“No, that is what I wanted to make certain you realized. ”_

“So, I stun only, right?”

Sheppard sensed hesitation in Lanar and clarified, “Stun…right; you don’t want me to risk killing the hosts?”

 _“These traitors must be stopped.  We cannot risk any of them getting away.  Our hosts understand the risk they take.  They are willing to die for us, if necessary.”_

“Well, I’m not willing to kill the hosts unless absolutely necessary.”

Ganero grasped his arm, “What now?”

“Two more out there, they should be checking on their buddy any time now.” 

Only a few seconds passed before the doors parted and the other guards cautiously entered the building. Sheppard thumped one on the shoulder. As the guard turned around, Sheppard threw a sharp upper-cut, sending the Tok’ra to the floor. He quickly spun around to tackle the other guard, he found one of the Furling guides had already taken care of the problem. The second guard was lying at the guide’s feet, out cold.

“Nice,” Sheppard grinned.

“We might be teachers and guides, colonel, but we are not helpless.”

“Didn’t think you were; grab those zats. Let’s get these guards tied up and hidden, then we need to  get out of here.”

By the time they left the building, darkness had fallen.  Sheppard sent one group of  guides armed with one of the zats in the opposite direction that he and Ganero took.  They would be able to move much quicker than the larger number of guides. 

They stayed as close to the buildings as they could, as they made their way around to the opposite side of the Arx.  They were nearly discovered by a couple of Tok’ra guards on patrol, but managed to slip behind a building before they were seen. 

“There is the building, colonel. There are two entrances, if we approach from the outer perimeter, along the wall,  we can reach the entrance at the rear of the building. The sellas room is only accessible from a staircase located there.” 

Sheppard nodded and motioned for Ganero to go ahead.  With a glance over his shoulder to make certain they were no Tok’ra behind him, Sheppard followed.

Shortly, they were standing at their destination, Sheppard swiped his hand across the door controls, and the two men slipped through the doorway into a darkened hall.

“The sellas is in the lower level, the stairway is close by. Come.”  Ganero pointed to the left.  As they turned toward the stairs, Sheppard heard slight movement behind him.  He turned to see what the sound was just as Ganero was hit with zat fire.  The Tok’ra fired again and Sheppard dropped to the floor next to the Furling. 

+++++++ 

The jumper descended from the bay located many floors above the embarkation room as the event horizon settled. Major Lorne was at the controls of the first jumper, Major Waters and Lieutenant Salem piloting the two jumpers waiting to descend.

“General, we’re ready, sir.”  Lorne’s voice came through the speakers in the control room.

“You have a go, major. Don’t return without Colonel Sheppard, that’s an order.” General Landry replied.

Lorne grinned at Colonel Mitchell who was sitting in the co-pilot’s seat, “That’s the plan, general.”

“Don’t think he’s kidding, major.”  Mitchell grinned back as Lorne applied forward thrust and disappeared through the gate. 

+++++++ 

Sheppard was getting really tired of being stunned.  As he came to, again, he blinked against the bright lights. 

“Colonel, you are with us again.”  The voice was Ganero’s.

“How long was I out?”

“We were captured over five hours ago. Lanar was unable once again to revive you as quickly as he wished.  Partak was with us for most of that time.” 

“What the hell…should have been paying more attention…sorry.”  He sat up, rubbing his neck, which was aching. Unconsciously he thought that a snake was supposed to keep him healthy. 

 _“Snake?  I thought we were past the name calling, colonel.”_

“Bit sensitive, aren’t you, you know what I mean.”  He glanced around the room and saw that some, but not all, of the guides had been caught as well.

 _“Colonel, Partak is aware that you are my host. Once enough Tok’ra arrived, they could sense me.  I don’t suspect that he will want to kill you because he still needs you, at least for now.  But I do believe he will torture me, which will cause you some discomfort.”_

“You think?”

 _“His intent will be to kill me, and he could do serious harm to you in the process.  While you were unconscious, Ganero and I have devised a plan.  However, we need to execute it quickly.”_

“Execute…lovely choice of words, so, what’s the plan?”

Another two hours passed before Partak and Curnon entered the room, five other armed Tok’ra accompanying them.  Sheppard was lying on a bench, his eyes closed.  He didn’t move when Partak approached.

 _“Lanar, I need to speak to you.”_   Sheppard continued to lie still, ignoring the renegade Tok’ra.  Partak kicked him in the ribs, rolling him off the bench.  When he spoke, again, his voice was even angrier.  _“Speak, Lanar.”_

Sheppard groaned as he lay on the floor, “What the hell do you want?  Lanar, that’s the Tok’ra who was inside Selana?  He’s dead.” 

Partak motioned to the guards with him, _“Pick him up.”_ None too gently, the guards pulled Sheppard to his feet.

  
 _“I have always known the Tau’ri are arrogant and foolish, and you are simply confirming my belief.  I know you host Lanar, you have hosted him since Selana died.  After you were recaptured, I sent men to backtrack the path you took prior to our finding you. They just returned with very interesting information.  They found her body, and they found a pool of blood.  Blood I am certain came from that wound in your abdomen, too much blood for you to be in such good health.  Lanar fled his host, entered you, healed you and led you here.”_ Partak walked toward Sheppard, stopping inches away from him.

 _“I know that you are not in control, colonel.  Lanar is an idealist, he believes that the Tok’ra’s new plan to live in peace and tranquility is the optimal plan for the future. That we will draw hosts from those who are seeking a meditative and academic environment.  Fools, all of them, fools.”_   His voice became more agitated, as he grabbed the front of Sheppard’s tunic. “ _Speak to me now.”_

“I am not Lanar’s host; he isn’t here.”  Sheppard croaked, as Partak applied pressure to his chest.

Partak struck out, his fist connecting with Sheppard’s jaw, spinning him into a wall.  Sheppard’s shoulder struck the wall first, then his head, momentarily stunning him.  Partak pulled him away from the wall, striking him hard in the abdomen, directly over the still tender wound where he had been impaled on the sapling.  Sheppard groaned but withstood the blow, falling to the floor.

 _“You cannot fool me, Lanar.  I know you healed him; I know you lie within him. Speak to me, or I will kill your host.”_

Breathlessly, Sheppard replied, “I told…you, Lanar isn’t…in me.”  He gasped violently, trying to catch his breath. “He did enter me and was healing me, but something happened.  I think…I heard him say it was too late for him, he was dying.  He managed to save me, then he left…me.”

 _“There was no evidence of Lanar’s body near Selana’s…I don’t believe you.”_

“He’s…not…here…anymore.”

Partak grabbed Sheppard and pulled him into a sitting position. He grasped his head, staring into his eyes. After a few seconds, he released Sheppard, turning to Curnon _. “He tells the truth, Lanar is not within him, at least now.  But I know what I sensed, Lanar was here. Take the colonel back to the building where we found him, I want to know what they were looking for.”_

Curnon nodded to the guards standing next to Sheppard to pick him up, and was turning to leave, when Partak added, “ _If he should suffer a few bruises in transit, I would not object. He could stand a bit of that arrogance knocked from him,  just be certain he remains conscious.”_

Turning to Ganero, his face a mask of evil, Partak spoke quietly, “ _Now, which one of you is now host to Lanar?  One of you has to be.”_

Sheppard had been taken through the front door of the building that housed the chair.  Once there, while they were waiting for Partak, the guards took turns punching Sheppard. Curnon seemed to especially enjoy slamming his fist into Sheppard sides, at one point, smiling as Sheppard cried out sharply when he felt a rib shatter.  When Partak arrived, he found Sheppard collapsed on the floor, rivulets of blood trailing from his nose, mouth, and a cut on his cheek. 

Partak kneeled next to Sheppard, “ _So, tell me, what was so important in this building. Tell me, or I will allow these men to have more fun.”_

“Just…looked…like a good...p-place to hi-hide.”

 _“Do not lie to me, I am growing quite tired of the lies.”_   Partak struck Sheppard across the face.  As his head rolled violently, thin tendrils of blood flew away from his face.

“ _If you continue to lie to me, colonel. I will begin killing these librarians, one by one, until you cooperate. As a matter of fact, at this moment, some of my people are persuading them to cooperate.  Colonel, Lanar is here somewhere, and, if he is not within you, then one of these guides must be the host. I will find him, or kill him when I kill one of them.  You can stop that; tell me why you were here.”_

Sheppard inhaled as deeply as he could before sharp pain ripped through his right side. “C-control chair…works the archive…wanted to see if …find weapons…”  he couldn’t continue.

 _“Where, where is this chair?”_

“Low…lower level.”

 _“Take him,”_ Partak motioned to the guards.

Curnon grabbed Partak’s arm, but it was the Tok’ra he hosted, Ma’Tek who spoke, _“Are you certain that you want him to have access to anything here?  We know he has great power with Ancient devices.”_

Partak’s eyes flashed, glowing brightly, _“Do not question me again, Ma’Tek, or you will regret it.  We must know the secrets of this place and Sheppard can give them to us. Now find the way to the lower level.”_  

+++++++ 

As soon as they exited the gate into the breaking dawn, the jumpers engaged stealth mode, but not before the guards on the ground spotted them.  As the guards were distracted, searching the skies for the ships, one of the jumpers circled back and landed near the gate.  The Tok’ra guards heard the ramp drop. Pivoting toward the sound, they were not quick enough for the Marine’s emerging from the jumper, firing Wraith stun rifles.  The Marine squad quickly secured the six guards. 

The team leader, tapped his radio, “Major, the gate is secure.”

“Understood, good job; stay in radio contact every half hour so that we can dial the SGC to give an update. Lorne out.”

Turning to Dr. McKay, he asked, “You have anything yet?”

“Yes, about twenty-four clicks straight ahead.  There’s a huge spike in power coming from that direction, the energy signal matches that produced by ZPM’s.”

Mitchell smiled, “Now that’s what I like…let’s go get Sheppard, major.”

The jumpers made quick time of the distance to the power source.  They flew straight down the wide pathway and soon a large wall surrounding a clearing where with several buildings stood came into view.  McKay, Zelenka, and Beckett crowded the cockpit for a better look at what they could only hope was the citadel the Tok’ra had been searching for.  Delek, who was sitting behind Mitchell, rose and leaned over Mitchell’s seat.

“ _Amazing, the citadel actually does exist.  I believed that it did, but to see it, it is impressive.”_

As Lorne began to descend toward the citadel, the large wall circling the city was clearly visible in the brightening light; they could see several buildings standing in a circular pattern around a central plaza. As they flew closer and the glass tower in the center came into view, an audible gasp spewed from Zelenka.

„ACH můj... je to velké ZPM....it is giant ZPM!“ he uttered.

McKay rolled his eyes,“No, it’s not a giant ZPM, but I am getting reading that there is a strong power source located in that building.  We should fly over be...“ 

At that moment, the jumper shook violently, losing altitude rapidly.  Lorne wrestled with the controls, while he yelled a warning to the jumpers flanking his rear.

“Pull up, go around, go around; heavy turbulence.“ 

As he tried to gain altitude, he was flying very close to the airspace above the city wall. They felt a hard blow as they bumped into something; the inertial dampeners barely keeping them stable.

Mitchell, gripping his chair, called out to Lorne, “What the hell did we just hit?“ 

McKay answered for him, “It’s a force field.“

Lorne replied, “It’s a fucking powerful force field, can you turn it off?“

“No, no way.  We can’t control it from here.“

Lorne managed to get the jumper under control, gaining altitude. He radioed the other pilots, “You guys, OK?”  His voice calm, barely registering the stress he had just been through.  Waters and Salem answered yes, and Lorne continued, “Stay back until further orders.  We’re going to try and figure out what to do with this force field. Lorne out.” He looked over his shoulder at McKay.

“Alright Dr. McKay, it is my understanding that Ancient ships can penetrate Ancient shields.  So what are we dealing with?”

“Give us some time, we’ll figure it out.  You’re right, we should have been able to pass through, the energy readings are Ancient.  Just…give us a minute…”

Mitchell remarked, ”Let’s see if we can raise Sheppard on the radio.  I know he had one in his pack. Hopefully, if he’s here, he’ll have the pack with him.”

Lorne nodded, “Yes, sir,” and began to call for Sheppard.

Mitchell grinned, poking Lorne in the shoulder, “Damn good flying, major.” 

Lorne chuckled and continued to call for Sheppard. 

+++++++ 

Ma’Tek found the staircase at the rear of the building, and Sheppard was dragged down the stairs.  Finding themselves in a small vestibule, three long dark hallways stretched away from them.  Partak told his people to search for a glowing door panel, and within seconds, one of the guards yelled. 

The guard had found the door control at the end of the hall straight in front of them,  a distance greater than the footprint of the building.  Sheppard was a bit groggy, but he realized that the lower level must extend well into the plaza.

 _“Open the door.”_ Partak ordered him. __

Sheppard snarked, “You open the door.”  The comment brought another sharp backhand.  He would have fallen if the guards hadn’t maintained a strong grip on him. A fresh stream of blood flowed from his cut lip. “OK…I…I’ll open it.”

Weakly, he pulled his arm up and waved his hand across the control panel.  The large plain metal door in front of them slid aside.  The guards holding him pushed him into the room.

The lights came up as Sheppard entered, revealing a large console along one wall, lights were beginning to flicker, then burn steadily as Sheppard got further into the room.  What captured Sheppard’s attention was the object that occupied the center of the room, an Ancient chair. 

 _“Is that is, is that how the librarians access the information stored here?”_

“Yeah…that’s what they use…”

 _“Then sit down, colonel, and give me the information I need. Remember, if you do not, well, I’ll just kill one of your friends until you cooperate.”_

The guards roughly pushed Sheppard into the chair…he sat; but didn’t recline. He was thinking how he might just do what Lanar wanted him to do; destroy these beasts without concern for the host.  A fleeting thought, but one that felt very satisfying.  He lay back and felt the warmth from the power of the chair rush through his body providing him with strength.

Partak and his men, who had never witnessed a chair activating, took a step back, as Sheppard had hoped they would.  They didn’t notice the tiny groove in the floor around the chair that he had noticed. He thought he might have an idea what it was. As soon as they were clear, he thought, ‘activate chair shield’, and a blue-green glow, emanating from the narrow groove, enveloped the chair.

He could hear Partak yelling to fire at him, but the first guard that did, fell from the recoil of his own blast against the shield.  Partak was becoming angrier, his cobalt blue eyes shining vividly with the blue light of the shield.

 _“I will kill them, I will kill them all, Sheppard.”_ Partak ran from the room, the guards leaving with him.

Sheppard quickly searched through the menu the chair provided and found the security scanner showing the shield that encompassed the entire Aux.  The scanner also showed something that made him want to laugh and cry at the same time.  The unmistakable outline of three jumpers.  He located the communications system and opened a channel.

+++++++ 

“McKay, anything yet?”  Mitchell was becoming impatient, so to needle McKay, he added, “Carter would have this figured out by now.” 

If the situation hadn’t been so serious, Mitchell would have laughed at McKay’s face when he heard ‘Carter would’.  He thought that Sheppard would be proud of him.

“Stop with the questions befitting a five-year old, we are figuring out the frequency and we’ll figure out how to jam it. Now leave us alone.”

Lorne was trying not to laugh, but he and Mitchell exchanged a glance that almost sent them both into a fit of laughter.  McKay didn’t miss the look.

“Look, I don’t know if you two went to the Air Force idiot school, or if you were both born that way.  Now shut up and let us work.” 

Lorne was about to apologize when the radio activated, and a familiar voice floated through the jumpers. “Hey, guys…d-did you bring…any p-pizza?  I’m…starving.”

Grins spread through all three jumpers, Mitchell answering for them all, “Shep, you OK?”

“Y-yeah…I’m fine.” No one believed him.

“Colonel, where are you, sir?”

“Basement of one of the buildings…in a control chair; I am going to lower the shield around the Aux, so you can land.”

McKay asked, “Aux?” 

“Yeah, you’re g-gonna love it here, McKay.”

“Sir, we are showing the shield down, will be landing in a minute.  Hang on, we’re coming for you.”  Lorne began descending to land in the city.

“Why am I gonna love it, Sheppard?”

“All the…knowledge of the A-ancients, the Asgard, the…Nox and the Furlings is stored here.  And Rodney,… there are Furlings here; t-tall people, can read minds.”

“Oh hell, he’s delusional, we need to get down there.”

“Mitchell, P-partak’s on his way to…kill the Furlings…need to stop him.”  Sheppard was beginning to sound weaker.

"Where, Sheppard?”  Mitchell asked.

“Not sure which building, the Master and eleven guides, he’s gonna kill them. Hang on, let me see if I can find them.”  The radio was silent for a moment, then Sheppard’s voice returned.

“The building…directly east from the c-center tower, they’re in a…large room on the  second floor.  Hurry…”

“We’ll get them, Sheppard.”

Mitchell began to instruct the Marine teams on what he wanted done. “Lorne, you and McKay, Beckett, and Delek take the Marines on board and get Sheppard.  I’ll take the teams from the other jumpers to find Partak.” Within seconds of touch down, the jumpers unloaded, and the two groups separated to find their quarry.

Lorne and his entourage headed for Sheppard who was guiding them by radio.  When they burst into the room they stopped at the sight before them.  Sheppard was bathed in a bluish-green glow, his face bloody, his right eye swollen and blackened, wearing a Tok’ra uniform.  Slowly, the glow from the shield faded, and the entire group rushed toward him.

Beckett shoved McKay out of the way and began checking Sheppard for injuries. Sheppard smiled at him, “Not as…bad as I look, Carson.”

Carson harrumph in reply, then asked, “Lad, what have ya done here.” He was poking the torn bloody hole in Sheppard’s tunic.

“Oh, that’s nothing. Fell onto a tree stump….nasty wound, but Lanar healed it.”

Lorne, who had served with the SGC and was well aware of the Tok’ra and Goa’uld, exhaled, “Lanar…how did Lanar…is he’s in there now?”

Carson was confused, “Who healed you?  Lanar? What does Major Lorne mean by ‘in ya’?”

“He was, but not now…”

“You had one of those snakes in you?”  McKay winced.

“Yeah, nice…guy…funny.”

“OK, now I know he’s delusional…ranting about Furlings and funny Goa’uld.”  McKay was looking quite concerned.

“Don’t…call them Goa’uld, Rodney…they d-don’t like that. Gotta get to Ganero and the others.  Partak’s going to kill them.”

“No, you’re not going anywhere, laddie.”  Carson was firm but Sheppard stood up, Lorne holding him steady.

“Going, got…I have to protect them, I’m an Elago Unes.”

As they left the chair room, McKay muttered, “delusional.”

They walked into a hostage situation.  Mitchell and the Marines had made quick work of the Tok’ra renegades until they reached the room that the Furlings were being held in.  Sheppard’s anger spiked when he saw that several of the Furlings had been beaten, many were bruised and bloody, one unconscious. Now Partak was standing in the center of the room, holding a knife to Ganero’s throat.

“Put the knife down, Partak. It’s over.”  Sheppard wrestled his arm away from Beckett, who had tried to restrain him. “You’ve lost.  No powerful system lord status in your future.”

 _“Stay away from me, it’s Lanar I want, I know he’s here.  I know he has to be in Ganero.”_

 _“Colonel Sheppard, I am glad to see you are alive. I waited to reveal myself until I knew you were safe.”_  The deep resonate voice of Lanar was coming from his new host, Lerat.

 _“Partak, the colonel is correct. You have no where to go; it is over. Killing Ganero will serve no purpose and will cause these men to kill your host.  I cannot allow that.  Please, let us keep your host well.  You know your fate, but do not make me kill you now.”_

 _“How, how did you hide from me?”_

 _“Colonel Sheppard was able to shield me using his gene until there were too many of you to protect me from.  When we realized that you knew he was my host, we decided to switch.  Colonel Sheppard permitted me to exit his body and Lerat accepted me.  The telepathic power of the Furlings was able to shield me by deflecting any thoughts that were coming toward Lerat and me.” He paused. “Partak, I will not ask again, release the hold you have on your host; allow Tovar to speak.”_

Partak stared at Lanar/Lerat, terror more than anger in his eyes, then dropped the knife.  Dropping his head, he surrendered to Tovar.  When his raised his head, Tovar’s eyes were brimming with tears.  “Lanar, I tried, I tried to keep him from doing those things, but he blocked me.”

Lanar grasped Tovar’s shoulder, _“It is alright.”_  

Two Marines took control of Tovar and started to restrain him. A shake of the head from Sheppard, stopped them. The sergeants nodded they understood, and escorted Tovar from the room.  

Crisis over, Sheppard realized that he was about to pass out and sank onto one of the benches.  Rushing over, Beckett began to check his vitals.  McKay and Zelenka were already talking to the Furling guides, stepping over each other asking questions.  As he answered the scientist questions, Ganero smiled in his direction.  Sheppard knew that Ganero was happy, because this was the master was meant to do. 

While Beckett rummaged for first aid supplies, Mitchell sat down next to his friend. “Furlings, huh?”  Sheppard nodded tiredly. Mitchell continued, “You know Jackson’s going to wet himself when he hears.”

“Ummmm…so he’s worse than McKay?” Sheppard attempted a smile, but was too tired.

“Yeah.”

“Mitchell, you have the gene?”

“Nope.”

“Beckett’ll give…it to you, with any luck, it’ll take. That way, next…time this sort of s-situation comes up, you can go.  I’m not…doing this again.”

Mitchell laughed, as he leaned back against the wall. They had discovered the Ancient citadel, foiled the bad guys, and Sheppard’s injuries were painful but he would survive, thanks to Lanar.  Not a bad mission, not bad at all. Besides, he knew that tomorrow, they’d do it all over again.

 

 _The end…_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for taking time to read What Lies Within, I really appreciate it. I hope you enjoyed and would love to hear from you.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to everyone who has taken time to read What Lies Within, I really appreciate it. Comments would also be appreciated.
> 
> Thanks again.


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